


Why Keith Left

by dreaming_is_believing2



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: I'm terrible at one-shots, Laith, M/M, Mcmullet, Tears, Unadmittedly In Love, Understanding, Why He Left, klance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-12
Updated: 2018-11-12
Packaged: 2019-08-22 10:37:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,620
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16596254
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dreaming_is_believing2/pseuds/dreaming_is_believing2
Summary: Instead of being alone in their cells on Sendak's ship, each of the paladins were paired up with one other. Keith with Lance, Pidge with Hunk, and Allura with Admiral Shada.Lance decides to take this as an oppurtunity to finally find out the real reason Keith left. But it wasn't the answer he had expected.





	Why Keith Left

Keith wakes up with a start, finding himself in a cell on Sendak's ship. Which made it occur to him that they had gotten captured. He rushed to the cell door and started pounding.

"Lance! Pidge!" He shouted through the door. "Can anybody hear me!" Hearing something behind him, he saw that Lance was now waking up, in the same cell as him. 

"I'm here." Lance spoke softly. One by one, the other paladins let the others know that they're there. Pidge and Hunk were apparently together, while Allura was with the Admiral that had ratted them out. Keith slides down the door, onto his knees. Lance shifted and move to the wall to sit beside him. The Cuban boy noticed the look of worry on his friend's face and didn't really know what to do. The paladins listened to the admiral's reasons for telling Sendak what they were doing, and then decided to turn their mikes off.

Keith and Lance both sat there in silence, not really knowing what exactly to say to each other. But what could they say? That being in a cell sucked? That hopefully Shiro, Sam, and Coran were alright? Besides, Lance and Keith haven't really spoken to each other since the Sharpshooter yelled at his friend about running away. Then it hit Keith. 

Why had it affected Lance so much that he left to join the Blades? Thinking about this question really made the Black Paladin wonder. Is there a lot more emotion about it then Lance was letting on? With a sigh, he slowly turned to face his friend. Well, if he could really call Lance this, there was something different for Keith there.

"Lance, if I may ask," Keith slowly spoke. "Why were you so angry at me while we were all sent into space?" Lance turned his head at the question, not expecting that to be asked, in here of all places. Studying the emo's expression, Lance noticed that Keith's eyes were pleading with him. As if it had really hurt him when he had said those words. But how could the Red Paladin answer? After all, he had been asking himself that question for a while now. Especially considering it had affected him most when Keith had almost sacrificed himself. 

He slowly turned away and gently leaned his head against the wall. 

"I guess that question was going to come sooner or later..." Lance paused, looking over at Keith again. "Mainly because I actually was angry with you for leaving the team." Keith noticed the expression on Lance's face had changed after he said those words. Not that he blamed him, it was surprising to him as well. Lance was mad at him for it? If anything, he thought that Lance would've been thrilled to no longer have him around. Keith normally tried not to think about the way that his friends all must have felt, with him leaving Voltron. Mainly because it almost always made him feel extremely guilty about it. 

Keith gently placed his hand on top of Lance's, but the Cuban quickly took it away. That made Keith's heart hurt, but it wasn't like he blamed Lance either. He now knew the truth from Lance's perspective. That Keith ran away, leaving him and their team behind.

"Look, Lance, I know I can't change what I did, but I had my reasons for doing what I did....." He turned his gaze away, not knowing that he now had Lance's attention. The Red Paladin though back to when Keith left Voltron, the look that Keith had given before going out the door. He had smiled, soon turning to a frown. Lance had thought about the expression several times, but he could never figure out why he left with that expression. And now he wanted to hear what reasons Keith had for abandoning him. Because even know he never would admit it, he really admired him. Lance just never knew how to truly convey it or show it to him. After all, they were supposed to be teammates and nothing else. 

Lance hesitantly lifted his hand up and pulled Keith's face to turn and look at him. Keith looked hurt yet surprised, but they both just sat there. The silence was truly getting to the both of them, as they awkwardly stared at one another. 

"Keith, I have the right to know why," Lance's gaze changes as he struggled to continue. "Your leaving really hurt me and I can't even figure out why it had. So please, tell me, it's just the two of us right now, no one else can hear us, so this is the best opportunity to tell me." Hesitantly, Keith holds Lance's hand as it stayed on his cheek. This caught the Cuban by surprise, but he just let his hand rest underneath Keith's grasp. They could both feel their hearts racing, Lance trying to understand what it meant.

"I want to tell you, I truly do," Keith lets go of his hand. "But I don't know how you'll react to the reason." Lance felt really hurt after hearing this. Was there more to what Keith felt about him? Did his leader, hate him? Thinking about made his heart hurt even more, as the tears started to stream down his cheeks.

One of the only friends that he could truly open up to, didn't even like him. 

Keith looked over to Lance, noticing the tears on his cheeks. Moving quickly, he pulled off Lance's helmet, and wiped Lance's tears away. It always felt like a stab to the heart for him to see Lance hurt like that, especially when he cried.

"Did you leave because of me?" Lance softly asked, before giving Keith a hug. It caught Keith off guard but he soon hugged back. Deep down, Keith really, truly wanted to tell Lance the reason, especially after he said that. He has seen Lance as more than a friend for a long time, but he never had the courage to tell him.

"I really don't want to talk about this, Lance." This just led to Lance starting to sob, with a stab to the heart for Keith. 

How could he tell Lance how he really felt? But he also couldn't just let Lance sob like this. Gently taking a hold of his hand, he pulled them up to his lips. Hesitantly, he kissed Lance's hand. Keith could feel his face heating up, not really knowing what to do next. Lance was confused, watching Keith hold onto his hand tightly. He suddenly felt a flashback, thinking back to when Lance and Keith started to understand each other a little better. When Keith had cradled him in his arms, their bonding moment, in which he denied had existed. 

While Lance thought about that, Keith thought back to what his mother had said to him after he first saw the first flashback about her and his father. No matter how much he really didn't want to tell the Sharpshooter, but he knew that they both needed it. Coming to a final decision, he took a deep breath before saying it aloud.

"I left to protect the person I most love," Keith paused for a moment before continuing. "Which was always you." Lance's eyes grew wide from these news. Keith began to cry from the pain that he now felt after telling him. There was no possible way that Lance was going to understand. Keith had been in love with Lance since the bonding moment, which was always why he felt jealous whenever he flirted with the princess. 

"You're in love with me?" Lance spoke softly, wiping a tear away from Keith's eye. Keith hesitantly nods, feeling ultimate regret. Lance stared at Keith, even though he wasn't looking at him at all. The Cuban boy took his hand off of Keith's cheek and gently put his hand against Keith's chest. He felt the leader's heartbeat, which was pounding a mile a minute. Keith let the Red Paladin's hand rest there, as he continued to deal with the pain that he was feeling. 

Lance took his hand away from Keith's chest and placed it underneath his chin. Using both of his hands, Lance pulled off Keith's paladin helmet slowly, placing it gently on the ground. After he did so, he used his left hand and pulled Keith's face closer to his own. Keith and Lance's hearts both continued to beat really fast, letting the moment last for a second. A second before, Lance's lips were attached to Keith's. This shocked the both of them, Lance since he hasn't really kissed anyone (other than one of the space mice), and Keith because this was the same person that he was in love with, whom he had finally told. The kiss lasts for ten seconds before breaking apart.

For about another minute, the two got really quiet. After all, they were two boys that had been friends for awhile, and they had just kissed each other on the lips. Lance clears his throat before speaking up. 

"I now know why I was so hurt when you left," Lance holds onto Keith's hand tightly, with a small smile forming. "I've had feelings for you for a long time. I guess I started to put the pieces together when you went off to help Acxa, which made me feel jealous." Keith turned his head to look at the Cuban, who was now looking at him with a big smile and love in his eyes. 

They both begin to lean in, their faces just inches apart. A moment later, their lips were connected, seeing each other differently. And they were both perfectly fine with that.


End file.
